Pauline Plummer (b.1933) - Oil Portrait of the Artist with Green Scarf

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SKU:
sr600
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Description

This intimate oil portrait evokes the quiet introspection characteristic of post-war domestic life, drawing clear inspiration from the Charleston house and the aesthetic sensibilities of the Bloomsbury Group. The subject, artist Pauline Plummer, is adorned with a vivid green scarf, and it stands out as the focal point against a backdrop of subdued, earth-toned hues. The scarf offers a singular burst of colour - a lively contrast that enlivens the otherwise muted palette and lends a subtle sense of individuality and defiance. Rendered in soft, fluid brushwork, the painting echoes the Arts and Crafts ethos of hand-crafted simplicity and lived-in beauty. The interior - featuring a mantelpiece, decorative ceramics, and layered textures - feels both curated and deeply personal, much like the rooms of Charleston itself. The overall effect is contemplative and unpretentious, capturing a moment of stillness imbued with quiet emotional depth. This portrait not only reflects the visual language of its time but also carries forward the Bloomsbury spirit of merging art, life, and domestic intimacy. Signed to the lower right corner. On canvas on stretchers.

Condition

The condition is typical for a picture of this age, including some minor surface marks. Flakes of paint loss at the outer edges and corners of the canvas, likely from a previous frame. Inspection under UV light reveals no restoration. Small pinholes to edges of canvas.

Size

59 x 49cm (23.2" x 19.3")

Collection Information

Pauline Plummer says of her work, "My style is traditional. I enjoy the challenge of constructing a balanced composition from figures, still life or landscape. However, it is landscape which is my principal theme, usually including some structural feature such as a grand building like a church or mansion, or just a disintegrating hut, a bridge, a beached boat, or a wavering line of fence. I am fascinated by the changing colours and patterns of the agricultural scene, the brilliance of oilseed rape, or the dark shadows of potato furrows. There are also, on a small scale, even in Norfolk, all those areas which have been so carefully controlled, where the weeds grow high, and one can imagine oneself lost among them."

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Artist Biography

Born May 1933, the only daughter of two very artistic parents, Pauline studied Fine Art at the University of Reading 1951-1955, graduating with a BA Hons. After graduating she was awarded a three-year studentship by the Council for the Care of Churches to study conservation of paintings. For two years Pauline attended the Courtauld Institute of Art Technology Department, headed by Professor Stephen Rees Jones. From 1960 Pauline worked freelance. In her long career she has worked extensively all over the country on many notable conservation projects in a wide variety of locations from stately homes, colleges, churches and cathedrals, including projects for the National Trust and English Heritage. During her working life Pauline enjoyed her own art as a hobby. She benefitted from courses by distinguished teachers, for example Robin Child and Roy Freer. It was on her retirement from conservation that she immersed herself in her passion for painting and went on to develop an extensive collection of artistic work.

More Information
SKU sr600
Artist Pauline Plummer (b.1933)
Date Mid 20th Century
Dimensions 59 x 49cm
Medium Oil
Style Postimpressionism
Subject Portrait
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